Nuutsumuut Lelum (Nanaimo Passive House)

Nanaimo, BC

Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre (NAC), in partnership with government agencies and other community organizations, undertook the creation of Nuutsumuut Lelum, a 25-unit rental housing complex for Indigenous families, youth, and Elders, anchored by a communal space for gatherings, celebrations, and other activities. This is one of several initiatives undertaken by the NAC with an overarching goal of providing affordable housing and gathering space for the Indigenous community, and space to support students’ learning outside the classroom.

Nuutsumuut Lelum was built to the Passive House standard, which means it requires very little energy to achieve a comfortable temperature year-round, making conventional heating and air conditioning systems obsolete.

Our team provided building enclosure schematic design services to the integrated design team. We worked with DYS Architecture, the general contractor, and the owner to evaluate and generate a consensus on the best assembly approach. We also provided design concept review, field review, and whole building air leakage testing to commission and verify the air barrier system.

Nuutsumuut Lelum (formerly known as Nanaimo Passive House) was presented with the Award of Excellence for the Non-Market category at the 2019 Commercial Building Awards.

Share This Post

Share:

Date:

May 6, 2019

Client:

Nanaimo Aboriginal Centre

Architect:

DYS Architecture

Our Role:

Building Enclosure Consultant, Energy Performance Consultant

Key Services

Passive House Consulting

Design Assistance

Field Review

Measurement and Verification

Concept Review

Energy Assessments

We guide design teams through the Passive House certification process by providing input on design strategies, components, and systems; modeling the building using the Passive House software, and documenting all aspects required for certification.

Christy Love | P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Vancouver Island Regional Manager, Senior Project Engineer

Graham Finch | Dipl.T., M.A.Sc., P.Eng.

Principal, Senior Building Science Specialist

One of the main goals of our energy performance services is to inform the design in terms of energy efficiency and sustainability aspects. This can include providing early stage concept design input, completing model iterations to assess the impact of potential design strategies, comparing energy savings against costs, and modeling potential cost savings measures to optimize the design while ensuring performance requirements are met.

Christy Love | P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Vancouver Island Regional Manager, Senior Project Engineer

Graham Finch | Dipl.T., M.A.Sc., P.Eng.

Principal, Senior Building Science Specialist

Our field review work supports the quality assurance process through regular and strategic observation to help ensure that the construction meets the design intent. Our field review personnel are qualified and experienced, having a track record of successful projects and an interest in working cooperatively and collaboratively in a team environment. We are solution-oriented with an interest in progress toward practical and cost-effective methods that meet performance expectations.

Christy Love | P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Vancouver Island Regional Manager, Senior Project Engineer

Graham Finch | Dipl.T., M.A.Sc., P.Eng.

Principal, Senior Building Science Specialist

Measurement and verification (M&V) is the process of quantifying savings delivered by energy conservation measures. We complete M&V studies for a variety of project types, including verifying whole building savings for new buildings, and verifying system-level savings as part of utility demand side management projects or to test new products.

Christy Love | P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Vancouver Island Regional Manager, Senior Project Engineer

Graham Finch | Dipl.T., M.A.Sc., P.Eng.

Principal, Senior Building Science Specialist

Before material and systems selections are finalized, our clients benefit from a review of the building enclosure design strategies at a conceptual level. This review provides an opportunity to reflect upon the performance expectations and fundamental building science strategies behind the selection of appropriate solutions. Experience shows that changes made at the conceptual stage of building enclosure design have far greater cost-to-benefit impact than those made during late design or construction. A typical Concept Review considers the following:

Environmental loads

Energy performance targets and compliance options

Life cycle expectations

Constructability, sequencing, and complexity of detailing

Structural support

Risk Analysis

Christy Love | P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Vancouver Island Regional Manager, Senior Project Engineer

Graham Finch | Dipl.T., M.A.Sc., P.Eng.

Principal, Senior Building Science Specialist

We can conduct various levels of energy assessments to understand how energy is used at a building and to identify opportunities for energy and GHG reductions. This could range from high-level calculations to detailed assessments that include full building energy modeling.

Christy Love | P.Eng., LEED AP BD+C

Principal, Vancouver Island Regional Manager, Senior Project Engineer

Graham Finch | Dipl.T., M.A.Sc., P.Eng.

Principal, Senior Building Science Specialist

Related Case Studies

Explore the projects that have made RDH one of the leading building enclosure consulting firms in North America. From cutting-edge research facilities and institutional buildings, to soaring towers, residential condominiums and emerging urban districts, we are proud of our diverse portfolio of work.

About Us

For us, building science underpins everything that we do: we see it as an area of professional practice that integrates building physics with the art of design and the practical challenges of construction. Learn what sets us apart.